Fire Danger

In this season known for fire danger, Northern Michigan residents should be aware of the proper procedures to follow when it comes to burning outdoors.

"It does look green out, but it's still pretty dry," said fire officer Michelle Hitner of the Pellston office of the Department of Natural Resources. "We've been pretty busy up here this year."

The DNR office updates fire danger status every day, along with whether burning is allowed or not.

Anyone wishing to burn is required to apply for a burn permit. All this involves is calling the office at 539-8564. During office hours, the staff will inform the caller if burning is allowed. A recording will issue the same information after hours. The person applying for the permit will be asked to leave their name, phone number and place where they will be burning either with the staff or on the machine. There is no cost for this permit.

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Those issued permits, even after hours by leaving the information on the machine, are also asked to call 9-1-1 and let them know where and when they will be burning. This will save area fire departments unnecessary trips out if passersby happen to call 9-1-1 to report seeing the fire, Hitner said.

Only natural materials such as leaves, grass and brush are allowed to be burned. Garbage, 2x4's, treated wood and other unnatural items are off limits, Hitner said.

Fires must also be attended at all times. If your fire gets away from you, you will be issued a ticket whether you have a permit or not. If you are caught burning without a permit, you will also be ticketed.

So far this year, the DNR has responded to or assisted fire departments at 14 fires in the area, Hitner said.

Dry and windy spring weather often leads to increased fire danger, causing fires to spread quickly out of control.

In fact, the National Weather Service yesterday issued a red flag warning in the Lower Peninsula.

Red flag warnings are issued anytime conditions are favorable to promote wildfires. The warnings allow the DNR to be on the alert for the worst by adding additional staff or whatever might be necessary, according to Steve Considine, a forecaster with the National Weather Service.

Three criteria must be evident in a 24-hour period for this fire weather warning to be issued: There must be a maximum temperature at or above 75 degrees, mean winds reported at 15 miles per hour or greater and a relative humidity of 25 percent or less.

On Monday, all the conditions were met and the warning was issued.

However, relief is in site for the rest of the week with some precipitation expected, winds dying down, temperatures dropping and humidity expected to increase, Considine said.

"Just be careful if you're going to do outside burning," Considine added. "There's potential for any fire to get out of control."